Robin and Marian

Robin and Marian
Theatrical release poster
by Drew Struzan
Directed byRichard Lester
Written byJames Goldman
Produced byDenis O'Dell
Richard Shepherd
Ray Stark
Starring
CinematographyDavid Watkin
Music byJohn Barry
Production
company
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • March 11, 1976 (1976-03-11)
Running time
106 minutes
CountriesUnited Kingdom
United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5 million

Robin and Marian is a 1976 romantic adventure film from Columbia Pictures, shot in Panavision and Technicolor, that was directed by Richard Lester and written by James Goldman after the legend of Robin Hood. The film stars Sean Connery as Robin Hood, Audrey Hepburn as Lady Marian, Nicol Williamson as Little John, Robert Shaw as the Sheriff of Nottingham, Richard Harris as Richard the Lionheart, and Denholm Elliott as Will Scarlet. It also features comedian Ronnie Barker in a rare film role as Friar Tuck. Robin and Marian was filmed in Zamora, as well as Artajona, Urbasa, Quinto Real and Orgi, all small medieval villages in Navarre, Spain. It marked Hepburn's return to the screen after an eight-year absence.[1]

Lester made Robin and Marian amid a series of period pieces, including The Three Musketeers (1973). The original music score was composed by John Barry. The film originally was titled The Death of Robin Hood but was changed by Columbia Pictures to be more marketable,[2] and perhaps give equal billing to Hepburn.

It is the only theatrical film based on the Robin Hood legend that makes use of a very old story (found in A Gest of Robyn Hode)[citation needed] depicting his murder at the hands of a prioress he was related to but turns the legend on its head by making Marian the prioress, and making it an act of love, not betrayal.

  1. ^ Watters, Jim (12 April 1976). "The Voice, The Neck, The Charm". Cover Story. People. Vol. 5, no. 14.
  2. ^ p.178 Norwich, Brahm Dilemmas of Difference, Inclusion and Disability: International Perspectives and Future Directions Routledge, 2008